


Secrets

by beargirl1393



Series: Khuzdul [2]
Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-02
Updated: 2013-05-02
Packaged: 2017-12-10 05:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beargirl1393/pseuds/beargirl1393
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bifur has a talk with Bilbo, wanting to know why the hobbit kept his knowledge of Khuzdul a secret</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly hadn't planned to write another one, but I had an idea and it wouldn't leave me alone. Forgive me if you think Bifur is OOC.

A few hours later, as the others are slipping into their bedrolls, Bilbo is startled when Bifur comes to sit beside him. The hobbit glanced at the dwarf, confused. Bilbo’s watch will not be over for several hours, and Bifur will take over from Dwalin near dawn.

 _“You speak Khuzdul?”_ Bifur asked, hands moving as he spoke. After his accident, even his Khuzdul is faulty. He makes do, using gestures as well as words, but occasionally he will think back to when speech wasn’t a challenge, when slipping from Khuzdul to the Common Tongue came as easily to him as toy making.

 _“Yes, I do,”_ Bilbo replied, his eyes on their surroundings rather than his companion.

 _“Why have you never told us?”_ Bifur asked, confused. The hobbit wouldn’t have been such an outcast if the others knew how much he understood about dwarf culture.

 _“Because I am part Took,”_ Bilbo replied, a slight smile on his face, _“An Tooks are as stubborn as any dwarf. Why would I reveal myself to a company who had bets placed on whether or not I would leave my home to help them reclaim theirs?”_

Bifur nodded; he could understand the hobbit’s point.

But…

 _“Why did you decide to let Thorin know?”_ Bifur couldn’t help but ask. _“And what would you have done if I hadn’t spoken to him?”_

Bilbo gave him a slightly sad smile. _“I would have accompanied you all to Erebor, helped you defeat the dragon, and then returned to Bag End. I only confessed because I knew Thorin felt the same. Otherwise I would never have had the courage. It’s still hard to believe.”_

Bifur shook his head. The Halfling was blind if he hadn’t noticed the way Thorin looked at him earlier. _“Why do you know Khuzdul?”_

 _“After my parents died,”_ Bilbo said, voice low and sad, _“I needed something to distract myself from the pain of their passing. I took care of everything of theirs that was left, as it was all I had to remember them by. Still, there is only so much time one can spend cleaning, so I spent the rest of the time in my library, venturing from my hobbit hole only when necessary. I bought more books after I read every one I owned, and I found the books about Dwarven culture fascinating. So, I learned as much about it as I could, including how to speak Khuzdul.”_

Again, Bifur nodded. He clasped the hobbit on the shoulder, knowing that the other doesn’t want to hear his sympathies for his losses. Bifur can understand that, very well.

Dwarf and hobbit sit in silence for a while longer, until Bifur rises to go back to his bedroll. He only takes a few steps before he turns back, one last question for their burglar burning on his tongue.

_“What other secrets have you kept hidden Mister Baggins?”_

Bilbo just smiles an enigmatic smile before answering. _“They wouldn’t be secrets if I told you.”_


End file.
